Hunger strikes continue over firings, compensations

TIRANA, May 27 – Eighteen Albanian civil servants who have been fired from their posts have launched a hunger strike outside the government headquarters in protest at what they say are politically-motivated firings.
At the beginning there were five women and nine men who erected tents near the government center last Wednesday and vowed to fast there indefinitely.
Almost all of them have been taken to emergency hospital rooms since then, but many have since returned after medical care. On Tuesday, five new people joined the hunger strike, taking the number to 18, from 10 at the beginning.
They have backing of the main opposition Democratic Party, which has accused the Socialist-led government of firing some 7,000 people from public sector jobs since coming to power eight months ago. The government downplayed that figure, saying only 400 had filed official complaints alleging unfair dismissal.
Democratic leader Lulzim Basha led an anti-government rally Friday near the hunger-strikers’ protest camp. The strikers have called on Prime Minister Edi Rama to talk with them.
In addition to the civil servant strike, activists from an organization representing those who were politically persecuted under the communist regime have started another hunger strike seeking financial compensation from the government.
They briefly clashed with police over erecting tents near the parliament buildings, clashes that saw opposition members of parliament join the protesters.
The government says both hunger strikes are politically motivated and aim to hurt the country’s image to make sure Albanian will not get EU candidate status next month.